Data storytelling: Bring your numbers to life

Christina Alvarez

Blog

We live in a world with data all around us, but often we can’t connect the dots to find the meaning. Data storytelling blends a compelling story crafted around compelling data to create a human connection. The most successful brands are able to lift numbers from their CRM and ERP systems and bring them to life. People want valuable and useful content that offers insight into solving their problems and helping them better navigate the world. By delivering this type of content, not only does your brand provide a real service to your audience, but your company benefits by extracting insights from your own data.

The human brain is far more engaged by storytelling than cold hard facts. So how will you connect with your audience? Below are a few examples of how you can bring your data to life.

1 Information infographics

Infographics can contain an abundance of information, giving you the opportunity to showcase your brand’s expertise. Due to their attractiveness, infographics are more likely to be shared on social networks and become viral than ordinary text content. Also, because they are visually appealing and content rich, infographics are shared by users every day across the Internet.

2 Animated infographic

These are infographics that include motion or animation graphic effects and bright, vivid colors to draw the viewer in. An animated infographic can also be developed into an animated GIF that can be posted on different types of social media platforms.

3 Interactive infographic

People often retain information better through a physical activity, so adding interactivity to your infographic makes it even more memorable and effective. An interactive infographic is any web-based content that lets you interact with the data on the screen. You may scroll over, click, highlight, expand, or otherwise manipulate the on-screen data.

4 Motion graphic

Motion graphics use video footage or animation to create the illusion of motion that tells a story. Motion stories can be told through kinetic text, animated visuals, or both.

5 Video

If a picture says a thousand words, imagine what a video can do in a minute. Cisco forecasts that by 2019, video will make up 80 percent of all consumer Internet traffic. A two-minute executive interview can be edited quickly, and uploaded immediately to your brand’s website. By embedding a sharing button, your video can be shared over multiple platforms with very little effort.

The ability to tell a story is crucial to appealing to an audience. Data storytelling engages your audience and makes your point more memorable. By blending data and visuals, you’re cementing the information in your audience’s brain. Using visualizations can also help make your complex information easier to understand. Implement these examples into your marketing strategy to give meaning to your endless amounts of data and engage your audience.